The Bower Rest System
The Bower Rest System is used in a variety of ways. It can be used to work up test loads, long range shooting, or for shooting outstanding groups. The original Bower Rest System (BRS) was created by Don Bower in the early 1980's when he wanted to make Contenders shoot like high priced rifles. He accomplished just that with the BRS and some of his rechambered Contender barrels.
Many have asked the question; "What make the BRS work since it defies the basics of the traditional sand bag system?" Simply put, the Bower Rest System gives you repeatability time after time. This happens because the rest system has sand paper on the front and rear where the forend and grip rest. This keeps the movement to a minimum when you are aligned on a target. It also keeps the handgun from moving during hammer travel or if you have a nasty habit of hunching the handgun or jerking the trigger. For all practical purposes, it takes the shooter out of the equation and allows the handgun to do all the work. The BRS keeps the specialty handgun from canting and other bag inconsistencies. The little differences in position, cant, pressure, etc. make enough of difference at longer distances to open up your groups considerably. The Bower Rest System keeps your vertical stringing to little if none provided you have accurate ammo and a decent barrel. In short, the BRS lets you see what your handgun and loads are truly capable of achieving, because it negates some of the problems that are inherent with external hammer guns. The rest is also kept in place on the shooting bench by four pointed steel adjuster knobs on the corners that allow you to adjust the rest and make slight changes to the height of the rest and to ensure that it is level.
The following is from Mike Bellm of Bellm TC's, which Don Bower has stated to us many times.
"Do bear in mind also that even very minute parallax in a scope will effect point of impact and thus group size as well. Get the best scope you can with parallax adjustment, and make sure you keep your eye centered in the scope. Making sure there is no "black" creeping into view is one way of doing this. Moving your head side to side with the gun just sitting on the rest will show you if the cross hairs are moving in relationship to the point of aim. If the cross hairs appear to move, then you are not looking at the same point each time you aim unless either the parallax is adjusted out of the scope AT THAT DISTANCE or you maintain as precisely the same position of your eye in relation to the scope each time you take aim."